Freelance Event Marketing Manager Jobs (NOW HIRING)

We're looking for an Event Marketing Manager to bring Gusto to life through bold, memorable events and experiences. This is a highly visible, strategic role responsible for designing, producing, and optimizing event marketing programsfrom trade shows and industry conferences to Gusto-owned activations and experiences. You'll plan, execute, and optimize event marketing campaigns as part of a cross-functional go-to-market team, turning strategy into on-the-ground execution that builds brand affinity and builds pipeline.

This role is part of the go-to-market team responsible for driving pipeline and fueling growth across Gusto's channels. We combine creativity, data-driven insights, and cross-functional collaboration to design campaigns that reach, engage, and convert the right audiences at scale. Together, we've helped Gusto grow to serve hundreds of thousands of customers nationwide, and we're just getting started.

Here's what you'll do day-to-day:

• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders and leadership to set goals, develop event strategies, execute plans, and evaluate performance to drive continuous improvement over time.
• Build and manage end-to-end event campaign programs including scopes of work, resource plans, budgets, contracts, and timelineskeeping everything on track and on budget.
• Leverage a deep understanding of Gusto's internal and external market positioning and target audiences to inform event decisions, from format and venue selection to messaging and audience targeting.
• Design and produce a range of event typesfrom large-scale owned events (500+ attendees) to trade show activations, field events, and intimate customer experiencesthat strengthen brand affinity and accelerate funnel impact.
• Build strong relationships with external partners including industry and show organizers, agencies, and vendors, negotiating favorable terms and ensuring seamless delivery.
• Assemble the right internal and external resources for each opportunity, fostering collaboration and creative excellence with Gusto's creative teams, agencies, and production partners.
• Maintain accuracy and accountability of event budgets, evaluate results against goals, deliver wrap-up reports, and make recommendations to senior leadership for Event Marketing.
• Build upon and advocate for the event marketing and production craft and vision at Gustochampioning breakthrough experience design, emerging event technology, and innovative production approaches.
• Leverage AI tools and technologies to enhance event marketing workflowsfrom audience analysis and content personalization to post-event reporting and campaign optimizationdriving efficiency and deeper insights across the event lifecycle.

Here's what we're looking for:

• 710 years of experience in event marketing and production, with a proven track record of producing a wide range of events (trade shows, activations, conferences, owned events for 500+ attendees, and white-glove experiences) across varying levels of complexity, scale, and design.
• A passion for event marketing and production with a willingness to roll up your sleeves and get hands-on in executionyou move effortlessly between big-picture strategy and intricate operational details.
• Strong project management and communication skills with a proven ability to manage multiple stakeholders at all levels and across different geographies, keeping complex programs running on time and on budget.
• Experience managing and collaborating with internal creative teams and external agencies, driving alignment and excellence in production delivery.
• Passionate and knowledgeable about breakthrough experience design and emerging event technology, always looking for new ways to elevate the craft.
• A natural cross-functional collaborator who thrives on building and maintaining relationships across the organization to drive results.
• An intellectually curious self-starter who isn't afraid to ask questions and uses answers to bring clarity and direction to the broader team.
• AI fluency and a willingness to integrate AI-powered tools into your workflow to work smarter and unlock new possibilities.
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment while building scalable programs and processes.
• Note: this role requires frequent travel throughout North America.

Our cash compensation amount for this role is $129,000/yr to $157,000/yr in Denver and Scottsdale and $154,000/yr to $188,000/yr for San Francisco & New York. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate location, experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.